Crib biters- are they difficult to manage?

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shadowboy

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I have to admit I have been looking at horses to buy- I sold Shadow and though I could never replace him so kind of gave up in my sadness, but I have been helping in with the driving horses and realised how much I missed it- sooo yes I have been horse hunting and fallen in love with a 16.3hh 9year old Irish TBwho is straight, freemoving with big paces, a gentleman to handle stunning to look at and generally a big softy, I think I've fallen in love! BUT he crib bites, not constantly but he does do it, but ive been told hes not the 'chewey' type but i dont know what this means. Are they difficult to keep weight on, or manage? what are the disadvantages/problems they bring?
Thank you
 
not at all mine cribs and I don't try to stop him he does'nt do it when he's out only after he's been fed. He keeps his weight on and is a happy chap.
 
If it is confirmed that there isn't a physical reason for the cribbing eg: stomach ulcer and that it is just a habit then it is not at all difficult to manage - just let them get on with it and if neccessary give some "Rennies" in the feed
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My horse cribs and he has had colic and hardly what you'd call a good doer.
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However, he's a super star and I'd have never been able the afford him if he didn't crib.
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My dads TB also cribs and he keeps weight on great and hasn't had any problems!
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I'd def buy another!
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Thanks guys- its kind of put my mind to rest, I really like him, I will go try him out again tomorrow and then get him vetted i think. Some of you mentioned Rennies/antacids- how much do you use and is it just the normal stuff you get from the chemists?
 
Rennies or any supermarket equivilent are fine, give 2-3 after a meal. pre and pro biotics may also be helpful.

Just be wary that some yards are against of having a crib biter/windsucker on the premises as there is a belief among some that this behaviour can be learned and copied. This isn't the case in my experience but it is a strongly held belief so check with your proposed yard before committing to any horse that does this.
It is an identifable stable vice so you should see a discount on price to reflect it.
 
I thought that would be an issue for the future to consider- but he will be living at home for the next year or so and Im not bothered to be honest- we will just put a sheet over the top of the stable door so it doesnt get 'eaten'
 
Giving a fibre based diet (i.e. no cereals) helps, together with ad lib hay and something like Feedmark's Settelex. Crib biting has been associated with feeding a high cereal diet and excess stomach acid. If the horse was perfect in every way, it certainly wouldn't put me off.
 
I'd think very very carefully about it. While I wouldn't be without Jim & don't regret buying him his cribbing has & does cause problems. Here's some:

It can be hard to find livery

You WILL get blamed for every chewed fence post on the yard!

It can make you unpopular with other liveries & an easy target for the dreaded yard know-it-all

He's had colic that the vet thinks was cribbing related though I still maintain stress was more the issue (but then when he's stressed he cribs more so who's to say who was right!)

The only supplement I've found that works is fairly pricey but I daren't take him off it

He's expensive to feed - he really must have ad-lib hay & will only eat off the floor so gets through about a bale a night. Cut back his hay & even with the supplement he cribs (but no U-Gard means he cribs in preference to eating so I know it helps)

He's actually overweight due to the amount of hay he eats but before that I did have trouble keeping him up to weight which is unusual for his breed.

It may just be the ones I've known but cribbers seem to be stressy horses in general & I end up running my life around mine!

Having said all that it is often possible to reduce or manage it if you can control the enviropment they're in & are willing to play around to find what works best for that horse. I wouldn't rule a horse out just because it cribbed but it would be a negative point.
 
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Check the yard that you are going to keep him on takes them too. Our yard won't have them
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that's just what i was going to say. whilst i have never owned one my friend did we were at the same yard together with wooden stables. by the time she left the stable was a mess and all the bark had been stripped off the trees in the field
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my mate did have some problems finding yards willing to have lady (but there was always somewhere)

she wasn't the best doer, and she was colicy (but that was certainly nothing to do with the cribbing, or windsucking) that was her.

People are biased because they think other horses will pick up the habit, or because it can be destructive. I personally can't stand the noise and i hate the build up of muscle that it causes. But there is nothing wrong with a crib biter persay. Although it is still viewed as a technical unsoundness and as such you should receive a reduction in the price if you buy it, we've all seen the adverts: crib bites, hence (cheap price). The only negative healthwise is that they tend to wear down their teeth faster.
 
My cribber is a horse of a lifetime. I adore her
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but I'm not sure I'd buy another one, because the fence maintenance is so great.
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Athena's a cribber and a wind sucker but I wouldn't even think about getting rid of her. Besides, she on cribs after she's been fed!
 
I have had my mare for 17 years and I bought her with the crib biting and windsucking habit. She mostly sucks after eating, but stressful situations sometimes cause her to do it more. She is not colicky with it and keeps weight on easily. She is better with more food than less, the less she has to do the more obsesive the habit. Some yards are a bit fussy about the vice - destruction of fence posts, consideration of other liveries etc.

I would not be without my mare for the world, but I would think twice about buying another one with the habit it is very very irritating after a while!
 
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